Finnish Forces

Mikko Pöllä

Mikko Pöllä(1916-1994) was born in Valkeasaari(Белоо́стров),Russia. Which was north from Leningrad, just by the Finnish-Soviet border. He and his family were Ingrian Finns so they spoke mainly Finnish. In 1932 his father was sent to siberia as a kulak, and the family lost their farm. Young Pöllä escaped the Stalin's terrors in 1933 by swimming across the Rajajoki river to Finnish side with his friend. He worked all around Finland as a construction worker, lumberjack and bricklayer untill autumn 1939, when the Finnish army HQ recruited Pöllä as a scout, along with some other Ingrian and east-Karelian refugees mainly because they ofcourse spoke Russian well. In the beginning of Winter War, he was given a few weeks of recruit training, which main focus was on the patrol activity. Mikko Pöllä participated in the Battle of Kollaa, where he complited 13 successful patrols behind enemy lines. During the interim peace Pöllä received further training for skills needed by long distance patrols. He was trained parachuting, close combat skills and to use the patrol radio. In Continuation War SSgt.Pöllä led long distance patrols as part of ErP 4(Seperate Battalion 4). During the war he made over 30 patrols deep into Soviet territory and destroyed supply trains and railways even as far as Arkhangelsk(Арха́нгельск). His patrol also destroyed several bases and participated in the total destruction of the great supply center of Petrovskij Jam, which is considered the greatest and most successful single raid by the Finnish long distance patrols. On August 1, 1943 for these actions he became the Knight of the Mannerheim Cross number 120. And in January 1944 he was ordered to reserve officer school from where he graduated in summer of 1944 and still had time to do 3 more patrols during the war. He officially became citzen of Finland in 1945 and got married. But in January 1946 he was interrigated by the "red" state police and in fear of being deported to Soviet Union he escaped to Sweden and worked there as a logger untill September, when Sweden decided to deport all the refugees who were former soldiers. He moved to Venezuela with his wife and worked there as a waiter,salesman,farmer and construction worker. They divorced in 1947. Pöllä returned to Finland in 1964, remarried and was hired to geological research center by leader of the center, a fellow long distance patrolman Vladimir Marmo. Mikko Pöllä retired in 1977 and died in 1994 at the age of 77.